What we’re seeing today isn’t a lack of firepower, it’s a survivability crisis.

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A £500 drone can take out a vehicle worth millions. Fragmentation weapons, loitering munitions and IEDs are cheap, widely available and it doesn’t matter how advanced (or not) your main gun is.

The threat has fragmented, but all too often we see our protection concepts haven’t. Traditional heavy armour was designed for direct fire. Today, the danger increasingly comes from above – swarms and airburst – and this is highlighting what protection should look like.

Cyber warfare often gets the headlines, but the physical fight is being transformed just as fast. 3D printing lets adversaries prototype new warheads in weeks. AI now cuts the time from detection to strike into seconds and UAVs mean every convoy, every patrol boat and every compound is under observation 24/7. Meaning the battlefield is transparent now.

The only element that hasn’t changed, is the physics – individuals........

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